The victim was found in a small patch of trees on the north side of the health sciences building. She was naked from the waist down, and had a body temperature of 90.1 degrees.

Two students had seen the victim and her assailant. The first student mistook the pair for ''drunks sleeping in the weeds'' and didn't notify police, Pittman said. That student later gave a statement to police.

The second student was not sure what to make of the situation and notified a maintenance man, who called police, Pittman said.

The suspect was gone when authorities arrived. The suspect was described as a slender male in his 20s, around 5 feet, 6 inches tall, with black, shoulder-length hair. He was wearing a blue jacket with a stripe on the sleeve.

University officials e-mailed students and faculty about the assault shortly after it happened, said Susan Ruddy, vice chancellor for advancement. Signs were also posted around campus, she said.

''We want everybody to know the minute something like this happens, for safety reasons,'' she said.

There were eight ''forcible'' sex offenses at the UAA campus between 1998 and 2000, according to a security report on the university's Web site.